Page 25 of Never Beguile a Duke
Nora’s eyes narrowed. “Did Mr. Curtis speak the truth? Is Mr. Hollingsworth an innocent man as well?”
“He is.” Winifred’s mother sighed. “I’m not proud of my actions, but every decision I made was done from?—”
“Do not say love,” Nora snarled, smacking her hand on the bed. “You paid Mr. Hollingsworth to seduce Winifred.”
“I paid him to feign courtship!” Eyes flashing, her mother forced herself into a sitting position. “Not to act on his own and ruin Winifred’s chances for a good match. When he threatened to expose my scheme to the ton, I had to remove him.”
“And Winifred?” Nora slashed her arm toward her sister. “What excuse can you give for your cruelty toward her?”
“I shouldn’t have accused Winifred of theft and sent her to prison as punishment for having relations with Mr. Hollingsworth.” Her mother hung her head. “However, I thought, if he truly loved her as much as he claimed, when he heard of her arrest, the guilt would cause him to take her place.”
Winifred exchanged a glance with Nora. “Mr. Hollingsworth was arrested… while I was still in prison. However, I don’t know what happened to him after I was released.”
“He’s still there.” Her mother stuck a hand into her bodice and, panting from the effort, extracted a folded page. “He asked that I give this missive to you.”
“Why were you visiting Mr. Hollingsworth?” Winifred glanced at the note but refused to touch the paper.
And why didn’t you give me that missive earlier today? Did you see Mr. Hollingsworth after I departed?
“I wanted to apologize for demanding that he separate from you.” Her mother released the letter, and the page fluttered to the bed. “Had I not interfered, you would have been married… although not at your proper standing. There would have been those who refused to receive you, but you would have been happy.”
She buried her face in her hands and sobbed, tears leaking out from behind her fingers. “Since I didn’t have the funds to pay Mr. Curtis, he said he intended to kill me, then demand the money from you and your sister.”
“No one can reach you here.” Winifred wrapped a comforting arm around her mother’s trembling shoulders. “The Duke of Beaufort will ensure your safety.”
“For how long?” Her mother lifted her head and sniffed. “I cannot impose on His Grace indefinitely.”
Leaning forward, Nora plucked the missive from the bed. “Did Mr. Curtis state the sum of Mr. Hollingsworth’s debt?”
Winifred yanked the letter out of Nora’s hands, tearing the paper. “You may not request the Duke of Roxburghe pay a brute such as Mr. Curtis.”
“I won’t live with her,” Nora hissed, her face darkening. “And neither will my husband.”
“Two thousand pounds,” her mother said, her faint reply preventing the impending argument. “I will also forgive Nora’s slight if Winifred reads Mr. Hollingsworth’s missive aloud.”
Winifred glanced at the letter. “Did he not tell you what he wrote?”
“He did.” The corners of her mother’s mouth pulled up. “However, I wanted to watch your reaction to his question.”
Nora moved around the end of the bed and sat beside Winifred. Taking Winifred’s hand, Nora wordlessly tilted her head toward the missive.
Nodding, Winifred tore open the seal and, in a trembling voice, read Mr. Hollingsworth’s tidy scrawl out loud. “My dear Miss Fernsby-Webb, after my actions, I realize that forgiveness is the last emotion I could hope to elicit from you.”
Nora snorted.
Ignoring her sister, Winifred continued reading, “I apologize for my cowardice and my deception. I was never meant to love you… but how could I not? And when your mother learned I intended to follow through with our engagement instead of stepping aside for a wealthier man, she threatened to imprison me for theft.”
Winifred lifted her head, her gaze finding her mother. “Another man asked for my hand?”
“Mr. Egerton.” Her mother sniffed. “However, his mother didn’t approve of his interest. She claimed you’d compromised your virtue. I’m still unsure how she knew before me.”
Rouging, Winifred dropped her eyes and dragged a finger down the page, finding her place. “When I learned you were imprisoned for this false crime, I confessed to the theft. Your mother confirmed you were freed, and I’m grateful my sacrifice led to that outcome.”
“Amelia!” Nora, who’d leaned over Winifred’s arm to read along, glowered at her stepmother. “You cannot leave an innocent man in prison!”
“I have no intention of allowing my daughter’s fiancé to die in jail,” her mother replied, nodding toward the missive. “That is, if she’ll accept his second proposal.”
CHAPTER SIX
